Even if you have a serious case of the Monday crankies

It can be hard to feel generous on a particularly cranky Monday, but a new study has a fix: Think about the last time you gave someone a present. Turns out that memories of you being generous to others will spur further feelings of giving. Researchers had groups of people write down memories of giving gifts, receiving gifts, or foods they'd eaten. The group that recalled moments of giving were the most likely to donate money to a relief fund a few weeks later.

The largest global tobacco survey reveals some sobering statistics: About half of all men, and more than 1 in 10 women, use tobacco in developing countries—and if current trends continue, tobacco will kill a billion people around the world in this century. Study authors say the data reflects tobacco industry efforts to promote smoking as something that’s glamorous, especially for women, and something that’s equated with Western themes, such as freedom and gender equality.

Researchers call it “weight cycling,” but you may know it better as yo-yo dieting—you’re on a diet, then you’re off, then you’re on again... While the thinking has been that so much irregular dieting wrecks your metabolism for good, a new study shows that yo-yo dieters are capable of losing just as much weight as their more steady counterparts. The study’s results indicate that women should keep trying to lose weight, regardless of how many failed attempts lie behind them.

The idea of a contraceptive for men has been tossed around for a while, but now mice are helping make it a reality. An experiment on a drug intended for cancer treatment actually lowered sperm production in mice to such drastic levels that researchers believe it could be used as a non-hormonal, oral, reversible contraceptive for men. And while it’ll take years to modify and perfect any possible male birth control drug, the results are definitely promising.

A small percentage of people retain their razor-sharp memory well into their 80s, and now researchers think they’re starting to figure out why. Brain scans of these “SuperAgers” reveal a much thicker cortex, or gray matter, the region of the brain important for memory and cognition. Researchers say the findings prove that maintaining a sharp memory into old age is biologically possible.

Need a reason to do some baking? Here are three of them: These muffins are super-easy to whip together; summer’s starting to cool down, which means you can finally turn on the oven without giving yourself heat stroke; and these are vegan, as in no animal-guilt in your muffins. Oh, and one more: Peach season is coming to a close, so strike while the oven's hot.